The John Lackey experience

So, anyway, missed the start of the Red Sox game last night. Got caught up in a few chores and didn’t tune in to the early innings. It was on my mind, however. There was genuine hope that John Lackey, the Sox starter with the Ray Romano voice and the John Wasdin fastball, would come out all fierce and get the Sox back on track.

Heck, the Sox needed a strong, confident showing from their man after the gut wrenching extra innings loss the night before, right?

Right around the time one could reasonably assume the Red Sox were in the fourth or fifth inning, just before I fired up the old laptop and logged in to MLB TV, my cell phone beeped once. Picking it up I saw a text message from good friend and enormous Red Sox fan, Garrett.

Right there and then, I knew.

I just knew it. Before I even opened the message up I knew what to expect. Lackey was getting beaten around Fenway Park like an Eastside hopper who wandered too close to the Westside.

For context and for your reading pleasure, the textual back and forth regarding the afore mentioned Red Sox 'hurler'

G: ''When Lackey sucks, he really sucks''

Me: ''I knew exactly what that text was before I read it''

G: ''I could have sent it this morning. I knew he was due a stinker''

How much of a stinker was it? Lackey went four innings. He gave up 8 earned runs on 10 hits, walked 3 and managed to strike out 1 Angels batter. It took him 97 pitches to create this masterpiece. For the season, this young, fresh, new season, Lackey is 2-4 with a 7.16 ERA. Lackey is 32 years young, which means by the time his 5 year contract runs out he will be 36 years old (he signed it when he was a relative spring chick at 31).

Buckle up Sox fans, Lackey is here for good. Did you wake up thinking, ‘Maybe the Sox can trade him?’ well if so, forget about it. His salary of almost $17 million a year is so restrictive that no other team would touch him with a barge pole. John lackey’s massive contract, in terms of length and dollars, is about as attractive as Lady Ga Ga in a meat-suit. So, forget the escape of a trade. Get used to John Lackey.

There’s no escaping it, the Sox are going to be paying Lackey $17 million a year until he is 36.

You know what, you want a guy to succeed, if you are a positive thinking person, you want the guy to do well. However, there’s no escaping the fact, 3,000 miles away from Fenway last night, a couple of Red Sox fans in Ireland were joking over text message as to how badly John Lackey has been pitching.

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